Airplane



Sept. 19, 1933. y T T OW 1,927,352

@IRPLANE Filed June 26, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTOISIX Sept. 19, 1933.

L. J. TETLOW AIRPLANE 7 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 L. J. TETLOW AIRPLANE Filed June 26. 1930 Sept. 19, 1933.-

-Patented Sept. 19, 1933 UNITED; STAT-ES.

PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to airplanes and has for itsprincipal object the general improvement of such vehicles particularly with regard to the positioning of the motors and with regard to the building of larger airplanes by rigidly securing together independent units.

A further object of the present invention relates to the provision of a skid device mounted on a transuerse beam which latter serves as a 1- portion of the unit connecting means. .A still further object of the invention lies in the provision of an independent central section of the main wing structure, such central section being independent of the two side wings and serving 2 to support a portion of the motive mechanism. In connection with this last mentioned-object I provide a lower auxiliary wing directly beneath the central supporting section of the main wing and in this way secureadded lifting area. In the designing of the airplanes some difliculty has been had in connection with the positioning of the motors inasmuch as it is not possible to have a highly efficient-motor of greater than roughly 50!} H. P., this necessitating the use of a number of motors. have two motors located in orthodox position, each with its own fuselage, this for economy in manufacturing and to supplement these normally positioned motors with one or more motors 10- cated above the main wing. I do not care to designate either set of motors as auxiliary motors altho it is my general preference to use the lower motors for starting and for landing and to use the elevated motors while in flight.

{315 In the use of the larger planes some dimculty is had with the skids and for that reason in the present model I have designed a new skid, novel both in specific'construction and in its location on the lower, transverse, auxiliary wing which connects the tail ends of the two fuselages.- This skid is pivoted on a horizontal axis which horizontal axis turns freely on a vertical shaft extending from the stabilizer connecting plate down to the auxiliary rear wing.

- In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan.

Figure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3.15 a side elevation. Figure 4 is a vertical section illustrating the .9 skid.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section thru the central wing portion.

Figure 6 is a section atright angles thereof.

Figure '1 is a detail. i The fuselages 10 and 11 are of usual form, hav- I flnd'it desirable to ing motors 12, propellers 13, stabilizer 14, elevators 15', and rudder 16. r.

The two fuselages 10 and 11 are rigidly secured together by a small plate 17 extending from one stabilizer to the other, a section 20 which is 60 the central portion of the main wing or plane, a lower auxiliary wing 21 just beneath the portion 20 and a rear lower auxiliary wing 22 which con nects a pair of downwardly extending studs 23 preferably integral with the tail end of each fuselage.

The central section 20, which with the side wings 24 and 25 form the main wing or plane, is a trussstructure, metal covered as at 26, to form a storage tank and having side plates 2'7 welded or otherwise secured to the trussof the section 20 and having integral reenforcements 28 for strengthening purposes. I prefer that the two end plates shall bolt direct to' the two fuselages as, for example, by the fastening means 29 and I 75 prefer that the side wings shall be bolted both to the side plates 27 and to the body of the fuselage, the bolts 30 serving this purpose. A further means for connecting the wing to the body are the struts 31 each extending from a continuation 33 .ofthe lower auxiliary wing 21 to a central point on the side wing such, for example, as 34.

A support 36 is bolted to the central section 20 by fastening means 37 passing thru flanges 38, this support carrying a tank 40 forming an air 5; shield between the motors 41 and 42. My preference is that the support 36 shall extend to the top of the tank 40 and the latter shall actually consist of two separately removable semi-circular sheets 44 independently secured to the support 36 as by-the elongated screws 47.

The pedestal is connected thru the small plate 17 to the two inner wings of the stabilized 14 as by the fastening mean 52 and the lower similar pedestal 53 is bolted direct to the lower rear auxiliary plate 22 by the fastening means 54. Rigidly connected to each pedestal, for example, by a pin or preferably by threaded engagee ment with each, is a vertical cylindrical bar 55 on which is pivoted a collar 56 having two outwardly extending stud shafts 5'7 serving as pivots for the skid levers 58 which therefore are free to turn about a horizontal axis thru the studs 5'7 and about a vertical axis thru the center of the shaft 55. At their lower ends the two skid levers 58 are connected together by the axle 60 on which are mounted the dual wheels 61. At the front ends of the levers I mount a block 63 strength- .ening the free ends of the lovers and serving as a stop for the spring 64 which. abuts the horizontal plate 65 of the block and also the upper surface of the rear transverse auxiliary wing 22. The spring 64 is held in place by a rod 66 passing thru a hole in plate 65 and thru an arcuate slot 67 in the wing 22, It will be noted that the upper curved surface 68 of the two levers 58 will engage the straight edge of the plate 17 and this will insure that the skid is always returned .to position when pressure on the ground wheels 61 is relieved, the normal position being such that the wheels are alined with the iuselages. In landing, when the ground wheels 61 strike the earth, they will give upwardly about their horizontal pivotal axis 67 and at the same time are perfectly free to turn about their vertical axis 55 and the arcuate slot 67 increases the fuselage of the side to side swing of the skid. I prefer that a cover 70 be aplel to the rear spacing member for connecting together the two stabilizers, a vertical standard rising from said rear spacing member and join-Q ing the stabilizer connectors, a yoke pivoted on said standard and carrying a pair of laterally extending studs, a pair of parallel levers mounted on said studs, 2. ground wheel carried at one end of said lever, and spring means'between the other end of the lever and the spacing member for yieldingly holding the ground wheel in depressed condition.

9. In an airplane skid device, a shaft, a pair of ground wheels mounted on said shaft in spaced relation, 2, pair of spaced centrally pivoted levers one end of which is connected to said shaft, means for holding the free end of the lever elevated, and means for pivoting the central pivot of plied over the block 63 to decrease air resistance thelever at right angles to its axis.

and also to give a very slight increase in lift, the lift being given not only by the side wings and the central portion 20 but by the auxiliary wings 21 at the front and 22 at the back.

What I claim is:

1. In an airplane, a pair of fuselages, a wing member tangent to and connecting the fuselages at their upper portions, a lower front wing section tangent to and connecting the two fuselages at their lower points, means rigidly connecting together the tails of the two fuselages said means being substantially tangent to the fuselages.

2. The device of claim 1 in whichthe last mentioned means is a wing section.

3. In an airplane structure, a pair of fuselages each having a stabilizerymeans connecting the fuselages together in spaced relationat the front and at the rear, and means above and parallel to the rear spacing member for connecting together the two stabilizers.

'4. In an airplane, a pair of alined fuselages, a wing memberconnecting the two fuselages, a motor carried by each fuselage, a pair of motors mounted in tandem on thecentral wing member,

the mounting of said pair of motors consisting of a vertical plateparallel to said fuselages, a motor at each end of said plate and two half cylindrical sections each extending from one motor of the tandem connected pair to the other to form together an oil reservoir cylinder of approximately the same diameter as the main bodies of the tandem motors.

5. In an airplane, a plurality of alined fuselages, each having a ground wheel and a stabilizer, means for rigidly securing together said stabilizers, a wing member beneath the stabilizers and parallel thereto, and a pair of vertically spaced wing members connecting together the fuselages forwardly of their, centers.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the forward upper wing structure supports a plurality of motors. I

'7. The device of claim 5 in which the rear lower wing member pivotally supports a skid wheel.

8. In an airplane structure, a pair of fuselages each having a stabilizer, means connecting the fuselages together in spaced relation at the front and at the rear, means above and paral- EYE:

10. In an airplane, a pair of parallel transverse members, the upper member having a straight front edge, a ground wheel, a ground wheel support universally mounted between said members, said support including a pair of curved surfaces adapted to engage the straight edge of the upper member, and resilient means for holding said wheel in lowermost position, said curved surfaces cooperating with the straight edge of the upper member to position the ground wheel parallel to the line of flight.

11. In an airplane, a pair of fuselages each having stabilizers, independent wing members joining the fuselages in parallel spaced relation, one of said members tangent to and detachably securing together the fuselages at their rear lower points and a memberabove said tangent member for securing together in the same plane the adjacent parts of said stabilizers.

12. In an airplane, including two fuselages, a main wing extending partly between the two inselages and partly on each side; a wing member detachably securedto the two fuselages below the central section of the main wing.

13. In a skid structure for an airplane, a pair of opposed pedestals, a shaft extending from one pedestal to the other and rigidly secured to it,

a yoke pivoted about said shaft, 2. pair of levers pivoted on the yoke at right angles to the axis of the shaft, a skid wheel pivoted on an axis at one end of said levers, a block at the other end of said levers, and a spring pressing said block 126 to hold one end of the lever elevated.

14. In an airplane, a plurality of alined fuselages, each having a ground wheel and a stabilizer, means for rigidly securing together said stabilizers, a wing member beneath the stabilizers and parallel thereto, a vertical standard located between the last mentioned wing member and the said stabilizer securing means, a yoke pivoted on said standard and carrying a pair of laterally extending studs, a pair of parallel levers mounted on said studs, a ground wheel carried atone end of said lever, and spring means between the other end of the lever and the transverse member for yieldingly holding the ground wheel in depressed condition.

LEWIS J. TEI'LOW. 

